Monthly Archives: December 2011

Coffee and the Social Muffin. Reflections on the year.

Today it’s one of those occasional reflective and introspective posts, because it’s the 250th blog entry and the last one for the year as i shall be working on The Book over Christmas. At the start of the blog, in … Continue reading

Posted in Blog, Book, Introspection, Learning, Reflection | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Small group learning using iPads. Ideas for practical applications.

The iPad is an ideal platform to be used in small groups: it’s small and independent enough to be passed around, but large enough to be viewed by a group and easy to project from. For these reasons, we can … Continue reading

Posted in Group Dynamics, iPad, Learning, Learning Design, Mobile Apps, Mobile Learning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The more i learn, the less i know. Learning about ignorance.

I knew i’d heard it somewhere before, although i couldn’t put my finger on where, which is where Google came in. Socrates, apparently. Good. Ancient Greek provenance puts me firmly onto solid ground.’The more i learn, the less i know’, … Continue reading

Posted in Ignorance, Knowledge, Learning, Reflection | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Concentration: why multi tasking can be one thing too much.

We’re filming this week for the RNLI, which means lots of people running around doing lots of things, in the middle of which, i’m trying to write. It’s hard to concentrate when so many things are making demands on your … Continue reading

Posted in Concentration, Learning | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The future of books. Beauty, function and form in the transmission of knowledge.

I’ve got a copy of the Hobbit on my bookshelf, which was the prize in an art competition when i was twelve. It’s a lovely copy, with Tolkien’s original illustrations, one of my prized possessions. Next to it is a … Continue reading

Posted in Book, Change | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Skills training using e-learning. Using diagnostic exercises, feedback and justification to overcome the challenges.

It’s sometimes felt that you can only really train facts and figures with e-learning, that skills training requires face to face interventions. This is based on the fact that you can’t give direct feedback on behaviours to an individual within … Continue reading

Posted in Feedback, Learning Design, Skills | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Learning from history: Scott’s polar expedition and the lessons from the past.

There’s a new exhibition going into the Natural History Museum in London about Scott’s ill fated attempt to reach the South Pole in 1912. For polar buffs like me, this will be a great opportunity to see some of the … Continue reading

Posted in Exploration, History, Learning, Museum Education | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Making Christmas cards. A seasonal reflection on learning.

It’s that time of year when i need to make my Christmas cards. Normally i like to do something different every year, but this year might be a repeat of last. You see, last year i did some lino print … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Challenge, Craft, Perspective | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Partnership and Collaboration: why learning together is easier than learning apart.

Today is a day for partnership and collaboration and, as such, it’s going to be very exciting indeed. I work closely with a wide range of specialists, people with deep expertise in their own fields. People who bring a lot … Continue reading

Posted in Collaboration, Learning, Partnership, Teams | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Words about learning: Why?

Why do we learn things? To better ourselves? To do new things? To reinforce our sense of identity? Because we are told to? Maybe all of the above. Understanding why people learn is important to understand how we create the … Continue reading

Posted in Learning, Learning Methodology, Words | Tagged , , | Leave a comment